Apple forced to stop selling certain Apple Watch models just days before Christmas
Apple will have to stop selling some models of its watches in the US this week just before Christmas following an international patent dispute.
Some of the latest Apple Watches will have to be pulled off shelves if the White House does not intervene.
The tech giant will pause sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 versions of its popular watch for online US customers beginning on Thursday and in shops on Sunday, reports said.
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It comes after a decision from the US International Trade Commission who are restricting Apple watches with the blood oxygen measurement feature as part of an intellectual property dispute with medical technology company Masimo.
The pulse oximeter patent from Masimo "uses light-based technology to read blood-oxygen levels", CNN reported.
American President Joe Biden has 60 days to review the ITC order from October.
So Apple could have carried on selling the two models of watches in the US but the tech giant said in a statement that they were "preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand".
An official statement from Apple said: "A Presidential Review Period is in progress regarding an order from the U.S. International Trade Commission on a technical intellectual property dispute pertaining to Apple Watch devices containing the Blood Oxygen feature.
"While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand.
"This includes pausing sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from Apple.com starting December 21, and from Apple retail locations after December 24.
"Apple’s teams work tirelessly to create products and services that empower users with industry-leading health, wellness, and safety features".
Apple further said in the statement that it "strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers."
It added: "Should the order stand, Apple will continue to take all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible."
The Apple Watch SE, which lacks the blood oxygen feature, will still be on sale in the US after Christmas Eve.